Duke Volleyball Announces Four to 2022 Signing Class

DURHAM – The Duke volleyball program and head coach Jolene Nagel announced the addition of four players to the 2022 squad as Taylor Atkinson, Kerry Keefe, Millie Muir and Sydney Tomlak will join the Blue Devils in the fall.

Nagel's incoming class is currently tabbed No. 16 in the nation by Prep Volleyball.

"We are excited to introduce our newest additions to the Duke volleyball family," Nagel said. "This incoming '22 class includes excellent students, leaders in their high schools and talented volleyball players who will all be excellent ambassadors. We look forward to welcoming them to Duke and know they all will be great contributors."

TAYLOR ATKINSON
Fort Mill, S.C. | Nation Ford High School | 6-4 Outside Hitter | Carolina Juniors

Taylor Atkinson comes to Durham from Fort Mill, S.C., where she attends Nation Ford High School and is a member of the Carolina Juniors volleyball club under Zoe Bell.

A three-time All-Region and two-time All-State selection, Atkinson was named Region 3-5A Player of the Year during her junior and senior campaigns and was selected to the North South All-Star Team in 2021. The 6-4 outside hitter lettered all four years in high school and was a two-time South Carolina 5A State Champion. Earlier this fall, Atkinson was tabbed as a second team High School All-America selection by the AVCA. She earned All-Tournament honors at the Wando Tournament this fall, during a season where the falcons earned the 5A-Region 3 title. During her senior campaign, she amassed around 450 kills and over 300 digs while also serving as team captain and eventually being named the Nation Ford Volleyball Player of the Year. Over her career, she owns over 1,000 kills and has previously been named to the AVCA All-Region squad.

Outside of athletics, Atkinson is a member of the National Honor Society, the Beta Club, was a Junior Marshall (top 10 student in the junior class) and was awarded the Olympic Award for the highest GPA in ninth grade. In October she was named to the AVCA Best and Brightest First Team for her academic performance.

"Taylor is an exciting addition to our program as she's a versatile athlete with a high ceiling. As a pin hitter with the ability to attack out of the middle, she offers so many options offensively, while also being a wonderful blocker. We are proud to be able to add another student-athlete to our program from the Carolina region and are excited to watch her continue to develop."

KERRY KEEFE
Pacific Palisades, Calif. | Marymount High School | 6-3 Right Side | Sunshine Volleyball Club

Kerry Keefe comes to Durham from Pacific Palisades, Calif., where she attends Marymount High School. The #19 ranked recruit in the 2022 class according to PrepVolleyball, she is a 6-3 right side hitter who also plays for the Sunshine Volleyball Club under Cari Klein.

This fall, Keefe helped lead Marymount to a perfect 35-0 record, state title and a National #1 ranking. En route to their historic finish, Marymount also won the Nike Tournament of Champions Southwest, GEICO Girls Volleyball Invitational, and the prestigious Durango Fall Classic tournament, after which Keefe was named to the all-tournament team. This summer, Keefe and her Sunshine Volleyball Club team won the 17 Open Championship at the Girls Junior National Championships in Las Vegas, NV. After an exceptional performance all tournament long, she was named to the 17 Open All-Tournament team. She was also one of 24 high school athletes from around the country selected to train with the USA Volleyball U18 girls national team last summer in Anaheim, CA.

Outside of athletics, Keefe is a Cum Laude nominee and recipient of the General Excellence award at her high school. She also served on the Student Council for two years.

Keefe comes from a highly athletic family. Her twin sisters, Caitlin and Michaela, played volleyball and graduated from Stanford in 2020, while her brother, James, is currently on the Stanford basketball team. Her mother, Kristin, also played volleyball at Stanford and was a member of the 1996 Olympic team while her father, Adam, played basketball at Stanford and in the NBA.

"We couldn't be more thrilled that Kerry chose to be a Blue Devil. Hailing from a family of collegiate athletes, she comes to Durham with an understanding of the student-athlete experience and the athletic and academic demands of this role that will enable a smooth transition and contribute to her success. Aside from her elite volleyball abilities, she is also a mature and seasoned leader and will be impactful for us right away. Kerry is a proven winner who has attained success at the absolute highest levels in both high school and club volleyball and we are so excited to have her bring that work ethic and experience to our program."

MILLIE MUIR
Stanford, Calif. | Sacred Heart Prep | 6-1 Setter | Encore Volleyball Club

Millie Muir hails from Stanford, Calif., where she currently attends Sacred Heart Prep. The 6-1 setter also plays for Encore Volleyball Club under Katie Goldhahn.

A four-time club captain, she is a three-time West Bay Athletic League (WBAL) first team All-League selection and helped lead her high school squad to a 23-6 record this year. She was named WBAL's co-MVP with a trip to the CIF NorCal Division I tournament. As the No. 44 ranked recruit in the 2022 class according to Prep Volleyball, she was also named to the AVCA Phenom list and was selected to the USA U19 training team. Throughout her young career, she has earned multiple player of the week honors from the San Jose Mercury News, the San Mateo Daily Journal and the Palo Alto Weekly.

Outside of volleyball, she was the student body president this year after being elected class president twice and was a student council representative (2018-19). Muir was the founding member of the Black Student Union (2020-21) and has earned multiple honors, including the Honors Convocation Award for computer science, math, science, English, ceramics, AP computer science and social ethics. Additionally, she was the winner of the National Protein Engineering Contest, the Senior Legacy Scholarship Award and the Sean McLarry Fine Arts Award.

Similar to future teammate Keefe, Muir has college athletics history in her blood. Her dad, Bernard, is the current Director of Athletics at Stanford and he played basketball at Brown. Her mom, Liz, played volleyball at North Carolina, was a member of the ACC 50th anniversary volleyball team and coached volleyball at Auburn, Iowa and Kansas. Her sister, Libby, played lacrosse at Stanford while her uncle played basketball at Northwestern. Lastly, her grandfather played football at Northern Illinois.

"It feels as though it's been ages since Millie committed to becoming a Blue Devil, and I couldn't be more thrilled that the time to welcome her to campus is finally here. She has continued to improve as both a setter and hitter under guidance from some excellent coaches and her size, maturity and experience playing in older age divisions throughout her career will be valuable in her transition to the college game. She has grown up surrounded by high achieving role models in the classroom, athletics and leadership who have all positively influenced and nurtured those qualities in her as well."

SYDNEY TOMLAK
Oakland, Mich. | Stoney Creek High School | 5-11 Libero/Defensive Specialist | Legacy Volleyball Club

Sydney Tomlak joins the Blue Devil family from Oakland, Mich., where she attends Stoney Creek High School and is a member of the Legacy Volleyball Club under director Jennifer Cottrill. She had a very successful high school career under head coach Ross Talbott in addition to her achievements with Bryan Lindstrom in the club setting.

For her high school accolades, Tomlak was named a top-10 finalist for the 2021 Miss Volleyball Michigan, which is awarded to the top high school volleyball player in the state based on a vote of the state head coaches. A four-time Oakland Athletic Association (OAA) first team All-Conference and first team All-Region selection, Tomlak has also been named a second team All-State honoree twice and is a two-time high school team captain and MVP. Throughout her high school career, she has helped lead Stoney Creek to three district championships, one OAA league championship and two regional final appearances. She was also named to the 2022 Prep Dig top 10 class in Michigan and to the Prep Dig Division I All-Michigan team.

During her senior year, she totaled 451 kills (4.1 kills/set) to hit .305, 346 digs (3.2 digs/set) and added 559 serve receptions. For her career, she owns 1,349 kills, 1,201 digs, 182 aces and 2,110 serve receptions.

During her time on the club volleyball scene, she helped lead Legacy to a bronze medal at the 2018 AAU Nationals as well as a top-10 finish at the 2018 USAV Junior Championships. She was named to the Prep Volleyball Class of 2022 Watch List, the Ultra Ankle Junior Volleyball Association (JVA) watch list and is a three-time AVCA Phenom and three-time AAU Academic All-American. Tomlak helped the West Michigan Beach Volleyball team to be crowned doubles champions in 2020 and qualified for the USAV open championship three times.

Outside of athletics, Tomlak is a member of the National Honor Society, on the Stoney Creek Student Council and the Athletic Leadership Council. She was named the 2022 OAA district representative and represented her high school at meetings among other schools in the state. She was active as a Link Crew Leader where she mentored a group of freshmen, was a UNICEF club member, coached youth at her volleyball club and volunteers at soup kitchens, Grace Center of Hope and the Kensington Church.

Tomlak also comes from a big sports family as her brother, sister, mom and dad all played collegiate athletics. Her brother, Brady, played hockey at the Air Force Academy and currently plays professional hockey for the ECHL Toledo Walleyes. Her sister, Alexa, played volleyball at Alabama while her mom, Michele, played basketball at the University of Western Ontario. Lastly, her dad, Mike, played hockey at the University of Western Ontario and played 11 seasons of professional hockey with the NHL Hartford Whalers, the AHL Milwaukee Admirals and in Europe.

"Sydney is an experienced and skilled player who has been a leader on every team she's played on from high school to club. Her ball control ability and speed as a defender are going to enhance our serve receive and transition game immediately. I love that she's the consummate teammate, exudes positivity, and thrives under pressure. Her team mentality and desire to help those around her be great will blend perfectly with how we like to work each day."

For more information on Duke volleyball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "DukeVB".

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Duke Volleyball Announces Four to 2022 Signing Class

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